Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi today said the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of the Union Territory had been estimated at Rs 29,557.38 crore for 2016-2017, which is 11.4 per cent higher than the previous year's figure of Rs 26,533.46 crore.

She was delivering her customary address on the opening day of the budget session 2017-'18 of the Assembly, which was interrupted at the start by four MLAs of the opposition AIADMK (Amma) wearing black shirts.

The protesting legislators raised slogans asking her to go back "for disrespecting the elected representatives quite often through her Twitter posts."

In her address, Bedi said, "The GSDP is one of the major indicators of the state's overall economy.. For Puducherry, it has been estimated at Rs 29,557.38 crore for the fiscal 2016-2017 which is 11.4 per cent higher than the previous year."

She also pointed out that the per capita income of Puducherry had increased from Rs 1,72,143 for the year 2015-2016 to Rs 1,90,384 for the year 2016-2017 showing a growth rate of 10.6 per cent.

She also said the territorial government had extended full cooperation for the roll-out of Goods and Services Tax (GST) and promotion of digital (cashless) transaction which would pave the way for a robust economic growth.

Puducherry government had incurred expenditure to the tune of Rs 6,144 crore which was 93.80 per cent of the total outlay of Rs 6,550 crore for the fiscal 2016-2017.

"When compared to the previous year, more was spent on implementing welfare schemes," she noted.

She highlighted the sectoral achievements of the government through various departments during the fiscal 2016-2017.

Meanwhile, Opposition MLAs also displayed placards to register their protest and later staged a walkout from the House.